3 hours ago
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You can’t go wrong with crisp, panko-fried chicken, and this version with zhoug is an absolute winner. You could describe zhoug as a green chilli sauce, but that wouldn’t quite do justice to this amazing Yemeni condiment, which is packed with flavour from preserved lemons, cardamom and garlic. Use some to stir through the hot, just-cooked jersey royals, then serve the rest as a sauce for the chicken. The only accompaniment you then need is a light green salad: a handful of whatever leaves are to hand, some finely sliced fennel and a few pumpkin seeds, all dressed with lemon juice, olive oil and sea salt.
Crispy chicken with zhoug and jersey royals
Prep 20 min
Cook 16 min
Serves 2
350g jersey royals, cleaned and halved
2 chicken breasts
4 heaped tbsp plain flour
2 tsp za’atar (optional)
1½ tsp flaky sea salt
1 egg
75g panko breadcrumbs
Olive oil, for frying
Green salad, to serve
For the zhoug
50g coriander (if you dislike coriander, use an extra 50g parsley)
15g flat-leaf parsley
1 preserved lemon, skin and flesh roughly sliced
1 small garlic clove, peeled
6 green cardamom pods, seeds only
2 green chillies, pith and seeds removed if you prefer less heat
½ tsp caster sugar
½ tsp ground cumin
50ml olive oil
Cook the potatoes in a large pan of boiling water for 10 minutes, until cooked through. Meanwhile, put the chicken breasts on a large board, spacing them well apart, and cover loosely with a double layer of clingfilm. Use a rolling pin evenly to bash out the chicken to 3mm thick (by the time you get round to coating it in breadcrumbs, it will have bounced back to about 5mm); if the chicken breasts have mini fillets attached, separate them and flatten them, too.
Get three shallow bowls or trays, each one large enough to hold one piece of the flattened chicken. Mix the flour, za’atar, if using, and half a teaspoon of salt in one dish, beat the egg in another and tip the breadcrumbs into the third. Dip each chicken piece first in the flour, then in the egg, and then in the breadcrumbs (use a different hand for the dry ingredients and for the egg, or you’ll end up with crumbed fingers), then put on a large plate or tray. Repeat with the remaining chicken.
Heat a tablespoon of oil in your largest saucepan – if it’s not large enough to do both pieces at once, do them in turn. Fry the chicken on a medium-high heat for three to four minutes on each side, until cooked through, adding a little more oil as needed. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain while you fry the rest of the chicken.
Meanwhile, tip all the ingredients for the zhoug, plus a teaspoon of salt, into a small food processor or high-speed blender, and blitz to a smooth, green sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed, then stir four heaped teaspoons through the potatoes.
Serve the chicken with the potatoes, a green salad and the remaining zhoug in a bowl alongside.
